§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to help young people over the age of 16 who are studying in school or college towards the cost of travelling expenses to their place of education. [156195]
§ Mr. WicksMy Department makes available funding to LEAs for schools and to colleges for students of 16 and over to help with transport and other course related costs. These funds are part of a £115 million package of discretionary support available from September 2001–02 onwards, which is an increase of £16 million over the 2000–01 allocation. We also provide up to £150 million for Education Maintenance Allowances to provide students of 16 and over in 56 LEAs with funding to support their costs and provide incentives.
We have given guidance to LEAs, who have a duty to assess and respond to local transport needs, on how best to work in partnership with colleges in providing local transport and local policies. In the longer term we have commissioned an exercise using external consultants to produce good practice guidance and options for developing policy.